"Using the Oxford Dictionaries language research program, which collects around 150 million words of current English in use each month, we can see a phenomenal upward trend in the use of 'selfie' in 2013, and this helped to cement its selection as Word of the Year," Oxford Dictionaries Editorial Director Judy Pearsall said in a statement.

Officially introduced as an OxfordDictionaries.com entry in August (definition: "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website"), "selfie" grew in popularity thanks to people like first lady Michelle Obama, Beyonce, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

A team of lexicographers, dictionary consultants, and Oxford's editorial, marketing, and publicity staff selected 2013's Word of the Year. Last year's winner was "GIF," a type of moving Internet image.